ZAMBOANGA CITY, July 15 -- The city government has intensified monitoring to determine the actual cause of swine deaths in seven of its villages from May to the present.

This came after Mayor Khymer Olaso ordered the Office of the City Veterinarian (OCVet) and the Office of the City Agriculture (OCA) to deploy personnel to the villages where a large number of swine deaths have been reported.

The identified villages included San Roque, Tumaga, Culianan, Manicahan, Curuan, Vitali and Capisan.

"We should determine as early as possible the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the swine so that appropriate measures can be implemented," Olaso told reporters Wednesday.

Dr. Arcadio Cavan Jr., OCVet chief, reported to Olaso that some of the...